


Magic in the Park (The Sleight of Hand Remix)

by donutsweeper



Category: White Collar
Genre: Gen, Magicians, Post-Canon, Season/Series 06 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 03:31:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16009391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donutsweeper/pseuds/donutsweeper
Summary: After hearing about him for several weeks, Peter finally had a chance to see a performance of his son's favorite magician.





	Magic in the Park (The Sleight of Hand Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Karios](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karios/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Smile Medicine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7718608) by [Karios](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karios/pseuds/Karios). 
  * In response to a prompt by [Karios](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karios/pseuds/Karios) in the [remixrevivalmadness2018](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/remixrevivalmadness2018) collection. 



Coming across performers in the park was nothing unusual. Neal loved them which meant, sometimes to Peter's great regret, they always stopped to listen or watch whenever they had the time. Moving Neal along was easier when he was still in his stroller, but once he was old enough to go for walks under his own power trying to keep a trip to the park to anything under an hour was an exercise in fruition. 

In any one week the musicians might run the gamut of headache inducing noise produced in numerous ways (they'd had to avoid the west corner of the park due to a sledgehammer and garbage can lid duo for nearly a whole month) to a Carnegie Hall worthy violin virtuoso to Simon and Garfunkel wannabes of varying quality. Sometimes there were artists, either providing quick sketches for pay or just working away doing their own thing, and it was always interesting to stop and watch the images they created spring to life. Neither he, El, nor Neal cared much for the mimes, but if there was a magician? Well, there better not have been anything else planned for the rest of the day because Neal would park himself in front of them and not move until the performance was over.

For the past three weeks Peter had been hearing about a new magician who had begun plying his act not far from the fountain that they passed on the way to and from preschool. So far Peter hadn't seen the man for himself, but if Neal's over enthusiastic babbling was anything to go by, the tricks he did were amazing. Peter did take into consideration that three year olds were easily impressed, but both El and the babysitter who picked Neal up sometimes both seemed to agree with him so Peter was looking forward to his typical last Friday of the month early day and the chance to pick up Neal and see this magician for himself.

Luckily the weather cooperated and Neal very determinedly led the way as fast as his little legs could carry him. "Come," he ordered, tugging Peter's hand impatiently when Peter had foolishly slowed down to let a woman with a stroller pass by them on the path. "Daddy, come, Mister Magic's waiting!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your horses."

"Not horses. Bunnies. Come."

"Right, of course. Bunnies. How silly of me." Peter tried very hard not to snicker at Neal's earnest correction.

"Mister Magic!" Neal's screech once he spotted their target was high pitched enough Peter couldn't help but wince.

The magician fared better though and, despite obviously noticing their approach, didn't falter as he produced a comically large flower from out of thin air to the delight of the two women watching. He was an older gentleman of an indeterminate age; if Peter had to guess the man was well into his seventies considering the slight stoop, wrinkles and black hair that had been carefully colored to hide the grey, but his brilliant blue eyes shone with mirth and his fingers seemed deft enough, despite the bright white gloves he wore.

The man worked silently, showing his audience he was hiding nothing in either sleeve of his tuxedo jacket before twisting his arms together in some sort of intricate spinning motion that ended with numerous origami birds of various bright colors erupting out of his previously empty hands. Neal squealed in delight, shouting "Birdies!" over and over as he jumped up and down, clapping as loud as he could. Peter applauded too, he had to admit, it had been an impressive trick.

Next Mister Magic - which Peter wondered if that was that really his name or just what Neal called him, there wasn't any sort of sign anywhere, but only some park performers had one so that wasn't so unusual - produced a deck of cards and fanned them out, showing them to the crowd. It looked like a full deck, with the quick glance allowed Peter could see all four suits and that they each seemed to contain all their expected cards. Then he did… well, something that Peter, even with all his training couldn't follow, and suddenly the cards flipped through the air before seeming to wink out of existence just as a breeze picked up, blowing his hat off his head. It flipped twice before landing a few feet away and when Neal ran over and picked it up to hand it back to him playing cards spilled out of it all over the ground.

After bowing to the audience, in that 'thank you, thank you, the show's now over' way of performers everywhere, Mister Magic turned to Neal, went down on one knee and reached out and produced a pristine white handkerchief from behind Neal's ear. He then used it to wipe an imaginary smudge off Neal's cheek before stuffing the handkerchief into into his fist and blew onto it and held his fist out for Neal to do the same. With Neal's blow the hand opened up to reveal the handkerchief had been shaped into a rabbit. After looking for Peter's okay he then offered it to Neal for him to take.

"Bunny!!" Neal shouted happily and flung his arms around the magician for a quick hug, eliciting a startled huff in response.

Scooping up the playing cards and origami birds Mister Magic ducked his head so Neal could replace his hat and then slowly, almost creakily, got to his feet. Giving Peter and Neal a tip of the hat in farewell, he then walked past them to the path that went to the other side of the fountain.

"So that was Mister Magic, huh?" Peter asked, grabbing Neal's hand so they could continue on their way home.

"Yep! And see? Bunny!" Neal held up the handkerchief bunny and began bouncing it up and down. "Hop, hop, hop, hop."

"You were right about there being bunnies, kiddo. I stand corrected. Want to go show him to mom?"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

As they exited the park Peter saw Mister Magic had somehow gotten ahead of them and was now across the street, about to get into a cab. Their eyes met over its roof and the man gave a jaunty salute before smiling and disappearing into the cab and for a moment it was all Peter could do was remember to breathe because he _knew_ that smile, he _knew_ that irreverent salute.

And he knew Neal Caffrey wasn't dead. But, Mister Magic couldn't have been Neal, could he? 

"Hop, hop, hop," Neal's namesake singsonged next to him, still totally focused on his handkerchief rabbit even as they continued on their way down the street. 

Mister Magic had appeared to be an old man, but how much of that was true and how much was actually sleight of hand? There was the man's hair to consider, it had been dyed dark to hide the grey. No. Peter had noticed a dye job. He's _assumed_ it was grey hair that had been colored, what if it had been the other way around? A purposely sloppy job of dark hair being turned grey? The gloves could have been part of the act, and they definitely matched the tux, but they also would have hid younger hands and a lack of age spots or noticeable veins. And the wrinkles? Stage makeup maybe? Carefully crafted to look papery thin? 

No, what was he thinking, there was no way Neal would risk his freedom by returning to New York just to be a street magician; he was completely crazy to even consider such a thing, wasn't he? 

Wasn't he? 

Completely crazy. 

_But those eyes. The hat. Those sleight of hand tricks._

Peter shook his head. No, he was seeing what he wanted to see. He missed his friend, that was all. 

"What's that, daddy?" Neal asked, pulling him out of his musing. 

"Hmm?" He looked down to see Neal gesturing with his rabbit at Peter's inside jacket pocket where a bit of something white was poking out of the top. Reaching in carefully, Peter pulled out a playing card. A queen of hearts no less. 

Maybe he wasn't that crazy after all. 


End file.
